Simply put, Tim Floyd is one of Larry Eustachy’s biggest fans. Floyd worked with Eustachy at Idaho, and now, as head coach at UTEP, has not wavered in his belief that his friend is one of the nation’s best coaches — period.

Here’s what he had to say about CSU’s hire of Eustachy:

“Larry has been at four universities that are extremely difficult to recruit to,” Floyd said. “I have no reason to believe that he won’t have the same success at Colorado State that he has had at the other universities, which will translate into either conference championships or NCAA Tournament appearances. Nobody’s guys will play harder or rebound better. Colorado State’s players will be excited when they get to know him.

“Larry was the first guy I hired when I became a head coach in 1986. He knows me better than anybody in our business and I believe that if he spent the last 15 years at a Kentucky or North Carolina, he would have won three national championships by now. He is that talented.”

Follow Chris Dempsey on Twitter @dempseypost or email him at cdempsey@denverpost.com

Terry Frei graduated from Wheat Ridge High School in the Denver area and has degrees in history and journalism from the University of Colorado-Boulder. He worked for the Rocky Mountain News while attending CU and joined the Post staff after graduation. He has also worked at the Oregonian in Portland, Ore., and The Sporting News. His seventh book, March 1939: Before the Madness, was issued in February 2014.